EQUITABLE WORKFORCE AND SERVICE RESTORATION PLAN

INTRODUCTION By 2018, projections indicate that approximately 7% of Neighborhood Empowerment employees will be eligible for retirement. Specifically, 2 of the Department’s 27 employees will be eligible for early or regular retirement. Table 1 contains a list of department classes and the percentage of employees eligible to retire within each one.  Table 1 – Department of Neighborhood Empowerment % Eligible to Retire by Class as of June 30, 2018 Employees

Eligible to Retire

% Eligible to Retire

Regular

Early

7 1

1 1

14% 100%

1 0

0 1

Neighborhood Empowerment Analyst Senior Accountant

A review of the data suggests a significant number of individuals in the following classes will be eligible to retire: →→ 1 of 7 Neighborhood Empowerment Analysts →→ 100% of Senior Accountant A meeting was held with the General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and Sr. Management Analyst to review the data and discuss where the Strategic Workforce Plan should focus. Since the Department only has two employees eligible to retire within the next two years, an in-depth discussion was conducted that focused on (1) the significance of each position in relation to the Department’s central operations; (2) the necessity to capture and transfer knowledge; (3) potential recruitment issues and strategies for the following classes: Neighborhood Empowerment Analyst and Senior Accountant.  The purpose of this report is two-fold: First, to get ahead of these impending departures and determine appropriate strategies to proactively address them. These strategies include suggestions for recruitment, examining, employee development, and knowledge capture and transfer. Secondly, to assess how the Department’s core mission and functions will change over time and the impact on succession planning which includes an assessment of the Department’s current and future usage of traditional civil service classifications.

DEPARTMENT’S CORE MISSION & WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT Since its establishment in 1999, the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (aka EmpowerLA) has grown into the nation’s largest and most innovative initiative in civic engagement and citizen-based government. Through a network of 96 Neighborhood Councils, the City promotes public participation in government and works to improve government responsiveness to local concerns. The primary goal of the Department is to increase civic engagement with citizens and with City Departments. The work of the Department’s field staff e.g. Sr. Project Coordinators, Project Coordinators, Project Assistants, and Neighborhood Empowerment Analysts play a critical role towards this function.   In the past two years, the Department experienced a 43% attrition rate (3 of 7 authorized positions) in the Neighborhood Empowerment Analyst classification due to either regular transfer or resignation. At that time, the Department decided to fill these vacant positions in lieu with Project Coordinators and will continue to do so. Specifically, as the current incumbents leave the Department, either through retirement, transfer or promotion, the Department plans to fill the positions using Project Coordinator and Project Assistant classifications. Implementing this hiring plan gives the Department the flexibility needed to recruit and select the best qualified candidates from a broader candidate pool taken from within and outside the City workforce.  This hiring method also addresses the recruitment and retention issues identified by Department management, namely, that the small size of the department provides few internal promotional opportunities and the nature of the work which involves non-traditional work hours and requires a specific set of job skills and high level of interaction with very vocal community groups e.g. Neighborhood

Department of Neighborhood Empowerment 2017-18 Fiscal Year Budget Proposal

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